GRO Pushes Medicaid Reform

The governor's office fears the effort, but members of Grass Roots Organizing said the campaign will "GRO" in Missouri.

Robin Acree, a grass roots organizer, and other volunteers have been working for months gathering 90,000-94,000 signatures to put the Medicaid reform initiative on this November's ballot. The Secretary of State's Office will determine if GRO's petitions have at least 86,000 valid signatures from registered voters.

"I didn't know, or have a clue, if we could even do this, but we did it," Acree said. "We did it for the people. These are my friends, my family, my kids, my granddaughter, my grandson."

If voters approve the initiative, it will overturn last year's Medicaid cuts and stop the projected 2008 removal of Medicaid in Missouri.

Gov. Blunt's spokesman, Spence Jackson, said the initiative would take $400 million from Missouri's budget.

"That would devastate the money we send to public schools, to veterans' homes, to help keep safe roads and bridges, and to help law enforcement officials across the state," he said.

But, Acree and other GRO volunteers won't give up.

"If we don't get this today, we'll be back and we'll be stronger," she said.